CANNED BEANS: Slow cooker Chili

Featured Item

CANNED BEANS

My family does not eat beans. Period. It's a done deal for them. So when I started getting into food storage I was so worried. What are we going to eat!? Everyone tells you to store beans. Well . . As time went on I just learned to trick my family into eating beans. :)

Dried beans are great to store because they keep for so long and are jam packed with nutrition. Tiffany posted an awesome post about how to prepare dried beans, you can find it HERE.

I trick my family into eating beans by making a puree and then hiding it in foods.

Start with the can of beans. I found this awesome Tri Bean blend at the grocery store, a little bit of each bean. Pour it in to your food processor or blender.

Then blend, blend, blend, and Whala! Beautiful Bean Puree!

I added by by bean paste into this chili recipe. It was delicious and everyone loved it. Little did they know, it had beans in it. SHH don't tell them, or your picky eaters.

Slow Cooker Chili

Makes 6 servings

Cook time: 5-6 hours

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 pound ground beef

½ medium onion, diced

2 teaspoons minced garlic

3 celery stalks diced

3 large carrots diced

1 can beans, whatever your favorite flavor is

1 can diced tomatoes, slightly drained

½ teaspoon hot sauce

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon pepper

12 ounces beer, if you buy a 24 ounce can you can use the second half to make this recipe!

Shredded cheese and sour cream for topping

Directions:

Heat the veggie oil in a large skillet to medium high. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and stir until mostly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until all the beef is brown 2 to 3 more minutes.

In the bowl of a slow cooker, add the celery, carrots, beans, tomatoes, and hot sauce and then mix to combine.

In a small bowl combine the chili powder, parsley, salt, cumin, thyme, and pepper. Mix thoroughly and then add to the bowl of the slow cooker.

Pour the ground beef mixture in the bowl and then add the beer. Stir the mixture so that everything is well mixed.

Cook the chili on low for 5 to 6 hours.

Top with shredded cheese and sour cream.

How do you get your family to eat your food storage items?

Please share with us by email or a comment!

QUINOA: Mexican Quinoa

FEATURED ITEM:

QUINOA

WHY STORE THIS ITEM:

• According to Stilltasty.com, it is good for one year in a cool, dry place.
• Quinoa is unusually nutrient dense, a good source of fiber and provides a good source of complete protein. 
• It is easy to cook and can easily be substituted for rice in most recipes. 

DINNER RECIPE:

Mexican Quinoa

In order for me to be excited about and love a meal, it needs the following characteristics: colorful, tasty, and easy. It doesn't have to be healthy, although this meal has that going for it too. This entire meal literally takes less than 30 minutes. This recipe is adapted from one I found on Annie's Eats. 

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves minced garlic

3-4 jalapenos, seeded depending on your love of heat, and diced

1 cup quinoa, well rinsed

1 1/4 cups vegetable broth (chicken broth works well too)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes

2 cups corn

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Juice of one lime

Cheese and sour cream for topping (optional)

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and jalapenos and saute until fragrant and jalapenos are beginning to soften. Add quinoa, broth, black beans, diced tomatoes (including their juices), corn, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice and enjoy! Top with cheese and sour cream if desired. 

Tell us what you made!

Please leave a recipe of what you made with this week's featured item in the comments field or email it to us. 

Homemade Item: BLACK BEANS

Black beans are used in so many tasty recipes. Preparing your own can save you a lot of money in the long run and gives you the satisfaction of knowing you cooked them yourself.

To start, buy yourself a bag of dry black beans. Take it from my experience that it is worth it to spend a little more and not get the cheap brand (like I have pictured below...). The last time I made them, I used a more expensive brand. This time I opted for cheap, which is not unusual for me and often works just as well. That is not the case here, the more expensive beans were WAY better quality. Spend the extra dollar or so, I promise it will be worth it. 

I cooked 2 lbs of beans. This gave me plenty to store and use later and didn't overfill my biggest pot, although it did come close. 

To start off, put your beans in a big pot. Add 6-8 cups of water per pound. Because I used 2 lbs, I added 14 cups of water. 

Take it from my experience, you will want to use a black or metal spoon to stir your beans. Don't use a wooden one or it will permanently be died a nice shade of purple. 

Bring your pot full of beans to a rapid boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it sit in the water for 1 hour. 

After letting the beans soak for an hour, drain all the water from your black beans.

Then, put them back in your pot, fill it back up with water, and turn the heat back on.

Cover your pot, allowing it to breathe a little, and simmer for 2 hours. 

Drain again.

At this point, your beans are ready to eat or freeze. I divided mine into servings based on cans, because that is generally what recipes call for. 1 can = 1 1/2 cups cooked beans. 

I was able to get 7 "cans" worth out of the 2 lbs I cooked. 

I then put them all in a big, dated, freezer bag and put them in my freezer for later use. 

According to Still Tasty, black beans prepared at home are good for 5-7 days in the fridge and 6 months in the freezer. 

To use, you can let them thaw in the fridge overnight. Or, if you are like me and don't take them out of the freezer until just before you need them, put them in a strainer and run water over them to thaw them quickly.